Researchers propose AI strategy for sustainable material development

An international research team, including scientists from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, has proposed a new strategy to integrate artificial intelligence with predictive life cycle assessments during the early stages of material discovery.

Published in the journal Nature Sustainability, the roadmap aims to address environmental impacts—such as energy consumption during manufacturing and the use of scarce raw materials—at the beginning of the development process. Currently, these sustainability factors are often evaluated too late, after significant time and resources have already been invested in materials that may ultimately prove unsuitable for eco-friendly applications.